I hve never, but just to chime in... it has been discovered that average human gestation is actually 41 1/7 weeks, not 40... so even if they got your date of conception exactly right you are only just NOW actually due!

The midwife who delivered my daughter once went almost 10 calender months pregnent. She had no problems at all. She was VERY anti-inducement as a result.

I think that's really interesting, I have read something like that before, but like lots of things...when I really want to find it, I can't!
My first was 17 days late, my second was 9 days late. I guess, I also had it in my mind that you just don't go "later" with subsequent pregnancies. Though I did find some info that said going late once puts you at a 50% chance of doing so again...and this being number 6, it would also be the other 50% of my late babies...right?
It also said that those women that tend to go late as part of their nature, have less chance of having any problems stemming from it.
I think it's too bad that they don't rethink the "due date" calendar abit. But since technology is focusing on more advanced ways of saving premature babies, there likely will not be much focus put on seeing a healthy postdate pregnancy to a natural conclusion.
I completely appreciate being able to "think out loud" here. Even a Grand Multi Para needs some reassurances from time to time!!

I went to 42 weeks. Fluid levels were going down so we were getting near the wire to have to maybe change the pathwe were on to a homebirth. I did NOT want that. It all worked out though, thanks to some homeopathics and a serious eviction notice which I served to my DS in utero. I said, we are NOT gong to go to hospital and get induced so this is it, you HAVE to come out!!
Next morning in the wee hours, I went into labor.
Birth was fine and all. Quick and intense labor. 7 hours in all. First time.
My midwife did say though, that the placenta was pretty much at the end of it's lifetime. It was starting to get white spots on it (calcifying) which she showed me after it came out.
So I guess he came at just the right time. Not a moment too soon, or too late!

Not quite knowing all the details, a friend just had a c-section (baby not engaging, head tilted..) at about 43 wks. Her labor just didn't begin or progress after 3 days of light contractions. I'm really curious about this though.. there's been too many c-sections in the neighborhood lately..

Well, I had my first BioPhysical Profile yesterday (41-1/2 weeks PG). Out of a score of 8, I had 8!
So, my intuition that all is fine and this is normal for me, were correct. Now, that only keeps the medical protocol off my back for another 3-5 days, but it's something.
I'm going to bath my body in the full moon tonight and see what happens! (uh....but I'm not holding my breath by any means!)

I went to 10pm on day 14 late. If I got to day 15, by law I'd have to go to the hospital.

I also had a couple of the biophys. profiles/nonstress tests. They showed the fluid was getting low and...that I had an 11# baby. Dr. was also worried b/c my bp. was rising. But, you know...I had ds at home in the hottub w/absolutely no problems. And, he was only 8.5 #!

I truly think you can't rush nature. But...check in on it w/the biophys. profile just for fluid levels maybe.

Yup, laws. The mw's are pretty relaxed about most things, but they were adamant about that. Apparently, they can get in a huge amt of trouble if anyone were to find out b/c then it moves the birth into the "high risk" category. Stupid, isn't it. As if it'd be healthier to check into the hospital, get an IV and have my water broken.:

I went 14 days past and I'm not sure what the laws are but my midwife was getting pretty worried. She said if I went 2 1/2 weeks over I'd have to go to the hospital for a non-stress test. She (and I) was sure there would be some concern (my age, blah, blah). My bp was starting to creep up - had been fine all along, but I delivered on the 14th day. 9 lb. daughter, very healthy!

Well, technically they can't "make" you go to the hospital. My midwife can no longer consider me under her care after 42 weeks gestation. She cannot attend a homebirth, by law, after that point. Just as she cannot attend a homebirth that occurs prior to 37 weeks. But, since most people choose to have some sort of professionally attended birth, it leaves many women without a viable option, other than the hospital.
We, my husband and I, will probably give it a few more days past my "cutoff", April 2, ourselves and go unassisted if the baby hasn't arrive by then. I haven't figured out my own personal comfort zone on how long I want this pregnancy to continue past that, complication-wise. (body-wise....I'm chockfull of baby and hardly comfortable at all , but that's not even a minor concern in my book.

BusyMommy...my fluid levels were great. She found all four "pockets" they look for, but even after seeing the first one she knew I had plenty of fluid. I could have told anyone that. Even for a big baby, this one can still rock and roll freely from side to side...and does!! I've read a few anecdotal stories on line about women who were determined to have "low" fluid levels, only to have AROM in the hospital and literally splashed plenty of fluid all over the doctor!
The other things they check are 30 respiratory movements. Either all at once, or in 2 groups of 15. They look for 3 bodily movements, and they graded my placenta. 1 being very healthy to a 3 or a 4 (can't remember which) being in a state of some deterioration. It's two points for each of the four things. Thus the 8 I had. I was surprised, somewhat at the good condition of the placenta...I had worked this whole pregnancy in a nightclub and I thought the second hand smoke would have gotten to it.
Guess not.

I really dislike the fact that a number determines "high risk". My goodness...I'm 40 years old, this is my 6th baby, I'm almost at 42 weeks gestation without a hint of a problem......I'm so darn near perfect I can hardly stand myself! But, once again, I'm one step away from being "high risk". Sigh......
Well...that got long-winded. Hmmpfffff....I need a baby to take up some more of my "free time"!

I have a bit of insurance in that I lied about the date of my LMP by 5 days, just to give myself a little lee-way, that way there wont be a "gun to my head" so to speak if I go the magical 14 days over, cause hopefully it wont come to that!!

It seemed so easy to me to understand that a due date is an estimate and that women's bodies vary so much that one could deliver a healthy baby two weeks or more on either side of the due date, I don't understand why other women and their families can't understand that as well... What do y'all think?

Thanks for the link. I think it's a bit off base in the observation that "patients" are fixated on the due date. I wouldn't be fixated on it at all if I weren't forced to be by the medical community, which is forced to be by the legal community, which is forced to be by folks who put their entire life in the hands of someone else and get angry when they get results that are anything less than perfect.
Vicious circle.
Well, I was in labor last night, or so we thought. Six hours of contractions 4 minutes apart...and then they promptly stopped and nothing got them going again. The midwife just took out my iv and left. I'm exhausted, this baby has been a real head trip. It even decided to turn breech again for a day (on Saturday), which I caught, not my midwife, and which I promptly turned around.
I have one day left before my midwife can't attend me. I am terribly frustrated. The backup ob wants me to do a NST today just to give me ONE more day of a possible homebirth. For crying out loud. I just had my baby's hearttones monitored almost every 10-15 minutes for the past 12 hours. Six of those hours I was having contractions. The baby is FINE and RESPONSIVE. Now I gotta shell out about $300 to have some other schmuck confirm it???
Sorry...I'm a basket case today.

I know it's getting down to the wire for you; hang in there. If you've run out of other options, ask your midwife if she knows anything about administering pitocin nasally. When I discussed how we would handle post dates with my midwife, she said that on a few occasions she had administered pitocin nasally which she says starts labor that is much more like a natural labor than administering pitocin via IV.

I was in your situation and made it w/2 hours to spare. I'd tried cod liver oil on 2 diff. occasions and had NO effect. Finally, I hooked up the double breastpump and went into labor w/in 10 minutes. Had ds 12 hours later.

You could also try homeopathic Caulophyllum (Blue Cohosh) 200C. You can do one dose, wait and see OR go for the gold (4 doses, one every 15 minutes for one hour- 4 doses max).
That's what I did in the eleventh hour and it worked.
Let us know how you are doing.
Good luck!

On the 13th day postdate for me, my midwife suggested that she gently strip my membranes. Up until then I hadn't had any interventions (ultra sounds, tests, or even vaginal exams until my due date). At first I was totally against this but she had conferred with a colleague of hers and they both decided this was better than the alternative (going to the hospital). I was already almost completely effaced and 2 cm. A couple hours later I decided to go to her house to try it. She just gently stripped them with her finger and 30 minutes later I went into active labor (I had had contractions off and on for 10 days) and delivered 11 hours later.

Would I do it again? Hard to say, but I ended up having the birth I had dreamed of, at home in my bedroom in a tub of water surrounded by my birth team.

I agree with you Cheryl, I thought the exact same thing when I read that article! Some women do obsess over 'due dates' but many doctors are crazy about it. The funny thing is, when I was PG I tried to give friends and family vague answer "middle of August" instead of Aug 13... they weren't having it! I think I will be firmer next time in my refusal to be specific, because sure enough, the countdown was going from the first day of August. It drove me nuts!

All that said, I am sending you good thoughts and I hope this works out for the best. I just keep thinking of you and imagining fruit falling from trees, fish swimming thru caverns into the light... Good luck and please let us know.

if u are thinking the homeopathic route, here is my sexperience with it. i called my hopmeopath when i was in a similar situation to u. he asked if i was irritable (who the HELL wouldnt be) and obsessing on it (again - who wouldnt be with an ob visit threatening?). i said i was and he gave me gelsium...this remedy is also used when u cant get to sleep for worrying about all u have to do the next day....u get the idea? anyway, labour started that night - good luck!

It's almost defies belief.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Actually, I've done castor oil FOUR times. The third time is what set off the 6 hour labor, that fizzled as quickly as it started.
I've been doing herbal cohoshes on and off for 3 weeks. After 3 days if I don't feel anything, I give them a rest. Done evening primrose oil orally and vaginally.
My membranes have been stripped...the plugs been out (and regenerating) since Friday. Had my husband give it another go this morning.
I've been hooking up to my pump for 2 weeks. We've been doing the deed every morning. We've done moxabustion, accupressure. I don't have any issues about birth (or about holding on to this last pregnancy).
I am now gently binding my upper belly to encourage the little one to scoot down a bit.
I am supposed to have another biophysical profile today, and if I "pass" my backup OB will give me until tomorrow (wednesday midnight) to go into labor and still "allow" my midwife to attend a homebirth. Feels like gambling...lay down some money and maybe get an extra day.....hrmpfffff
This baby is almost 3 weeks late and considering all the above, just simply isn't interested in being born.
The only other thought that crosses my mind is that being 40, maybe I just don't have enough hormones anymore to get things going....but then again, I was 23 when my first baby was 2-1/2 weeks late. I dunno.
We rested all day yesterday...I refused to even talk to my midwife, who was busy trying to get ahold of us to schedule tests etc right away. Right now, everyone involved in my care is basically in "cover your a$$" mode. Kinda sucks....but we've been pretty calm considering.

judging form the number of ppl who have visited this msg i would guess i am not the only one waiting on pins and needles to see if cheryl went "on time" for her homebirth. waiting with fingers crossed....
Earthymama

I'm dying to know how things go with Cheryl too. I really hope something worked, its just not fair when these things happen,talk about STRESS.

Earthymama, I couldnt help laughing when I read your post, at first when you wrote "here is my sexperience", I thought you were going to tell her how having sex put you in labour, but I guess it was just a typo. That is a cool word though, I may just use it sometime!!

I am just holding a mental image in my head.... of her starting labor on the afternoon of the 2nd and having her baby quietly at home. So now she needs to rest up and bond with the baby so she'll post in a day or two.

Hey Catherine
We decided after being "risked out" by my midwife, and another episode of intense false labor, that there were too many "Murphy's Law" things going on at the end of this pregnancy to feel comfortable doing an unassisted. I was also getting to the point of being immobile from my hugeness. There was a small window of timing to get my backup ob at a more open-minded hospital, so we chose to schedule an induction for Thursday.

After 5 hours of pitocin induced labor (at a day shy of 43 weeks) and 10 minutes of Highly Motivated pushing I gave birth, April 4th at 5:08pm to Wren Paisley Nelson!!
She weighed 10 pounds, 8 ounces, is 22 inches long, (14-1/2 inch head)!!!
Other than the pit and my water being broken at 5cm before I could protest, it was a completely
unmedicated birth, with no episiotomy, no tears! We amazed all those around us...we amazed ourselves!

We left the hospital this morning and are going to spend our first evening together at home as a family. I am absolutely in love with her, as is her Papa and her five big brothers!
I have more to tell and will try to post in a few days....please feel free to post this in my behalf, I think everyone will understand not spending too much time on the computer right now!
Thanks soooo much for thinking of me. All the positive thoughts and affirmations I've gotten were immensely helpful during my labor!